Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Samsung's Anycall Haptic Phone: 22 Ways to Say "I Feel You" [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/257671996/samsungs-anycall-haptic-phone-22-ways-to-say-i-feel-you

Samsung's latest introduction, the SCH-W420/W4200 in the video below, is a slender, iPhone-like handset with a 3.2" touchscreen, a lively user interface, and the kind of force feedback that the LG Prada phone could only dream of.

With just three actual buttons at the bottom, it relies mainly on a touch interface that you can customize (if you know Korean), with drag-and-drop desktop building. In the force feedback dept., it uses a vocabulary of 22 different vibrations to simulate actual feels and actions. When you see a volume knob for the radio and reach to turn it, you hear and feel the clicks of an old-timey dial.

The phone, which includes a terrestrial broadcast TV receiver, is going to sell for $700 to $800 and is Korea only—but for how long? Bring it, Sammy! We're waiting. [AP; NewLaunches]

LG's 5.1 megapixel OZ: a Casio W53CA hides behind the curtain

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/257470819/

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

Well lookie here, LG just announced a followup to its LH2300 Touch Web phone. This one's for the twisty-fold clamshell fans -- a design which makes it look positively Japanese superphone-like. In fact, we're pretty sure it's just the Casio W53CA with LG branding and new Hello UI for Korean consumption. Interesting given that Korea certainly isn't lacking in mega-spec'd phones. Anyway, given the Exilim underpinnings it's no surprise to find a 5.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 28-mm lens, color correction, 9-point auto focus, and built-in anti-shake technology bunged into the backside. The LCD measures 2.8-inches (down from the LH2300's 3-inch LCD) yet still manages the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution for DMB television and landscape or portrait web browsing. Inside the little 18.9-mm thin handset you'll find 4GB NAND / 1GB SDRAM and microSD expansion for all your snaps and VGA / 30fps video. Coming to a 3G, CDMA network near you in April... just long as you live in South Korea or Japan.

Gallery: LG's 5.1 megapixel OZ

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Monday, March 24, 2008

Seagate warns it might sue SSD makers for patent infringement

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/257157834/

Filed under: Storage

It may already be dipping its own toes into the wild new world of solid state hard drives, but Seagate apparently isn't so keen on others ditching traditional hard drives, and it's now indicating that it might even sue 'em if SSD really starts to catch on. That word comes from none other than Seagate CEO Bill Watkins, who told Fortune recently that he's "convinced" that SSD makers like Samsung and Intel are violating some of Seagate's patents (as well as Western Digital's) that deal with the way a "storage device communicates with a computer." Somewhat curiously though, especially given Seagate's own plans, Watkins doesn't see SSD catching on in a big way anytime soon, saying that, "realistically, I just don't see the flash notebook sell." As Fortune points out, however, if prices keep dropping at the rate they have been, that "sell" could soon be a whole lot easier to make, which would also make that lawsuit quite a bit more likely.

[Via Slashdot]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

LG's Flatron LX206WU joins the multiple USB display party

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/257186847/

Filed under: Displays

We're not sure why hooking up six displays has suddenly become the new USB multiple-monitor demo of choice, but LG isn't one to let Samsung have all the glory -- the company just announced the USB-capable 20.1-inch Flatron LX206WU, which outguns Sammy's UbiSync 940UX by a single, triumphant inch. LG says you can feed up to six displays from a single USB port using a hub, but it's not saying what the max video bitrate or resolution is. Just like the Samsung, it looks like USB video support is Windows-only for now, but Mac and Linux peeps can jack into the 5000:1 contrast ratio and 2ms response time through DVI and VGA, which are notably absent on Sammy's unit. No word on Stateside availability, but if you're headed to Korea we hear a smile and 390,000 won ($388) should do the trick.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Intel's Netbook revealed as the 2go PC

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/257186846/

Filed under: Laptops

Finally, something solid on the recently-rumored Netbook... or should we say, the 2go PC. The little laptop, manufactured by CTL, will clearly be aimed at the education market, though the specs imply that this will be destined for more than just the classroom. The 2go features an Intel Celeron M CPU on top of the 915GMS chipset, 512MB of RAM (upgradeable to 1GB), a 9-inch, 800 x 480 LCD display, 40GB hard drive, 802.11b/g, SD / MMC reader, and a full complement of standard ports and jacks. The systems natively run XP (though Linux appears to be an option), feature a VGA webcam, and are expected to go about three hours between full charges. Our contact says these will be on shelves in less than 60 days, and will retail for around $400. We're working on getting our grubby mitts all over one of these puppies, but in the meantime, check out some more pics after the break.

Continue reading Intel's Netbook revealed as the 2go PC

Permalink | Email this | Comments